BlackBerry Fact Check Asks Good and MobileIron CEOs: Are You Sure?

Company leaders are often asked to comment on competitors. It puts them in a tough position. On one hand, it’s a chance to crow a bit about why their products are better than the competition. On the other hand, it’s tough to be an expert on every aspect of a competitor’s product. Which brings us a fun little fact check called “Are You Sure?”
First up is Christy Wyatt, CEO, Good Technology. In a recent interview, she said:

“The way that [BlackBerry] ensured bad data didn’t get on the devices, they just prevented you from putting anything on the device. So IT managers when they ended up on BlackBerry devices pretty much shut everything off.

If you try to say, ‘OK, I’m not going to buy you a BlackBerry device, I’m going to buy you an iPhone or an Android device,’ it’s very easy to believe that the way you then secure that device is, you try to replicate what BlackBerry did, through device management.

The challenge with that is that you’re going to get the same user experience just on a different device, which is you’re going to turn off people’s Facebook, you’re going to turn off their cloud access, you’re going to tell them they can’t install things — and you’re going to get organ rejection by the end user.”

Are you sure, Christy?

Your characterization of BlackBerry is really out of date. BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) 10 allows users to have full access to sensitive corporate data and applications, while continuing to enjoy personal apps like Facebook. That’s true using BlackBerry Balance on BlackBerry 10 devices and Secure Work Space on iOS and Android devices. When BES12 launches in November, we’ll extend this capability to Windows Phone 8 devices as well.

Using BES, regulated companies can have FIPS and FOC certified security for corporate data and give their employees access to personal apps and services. That’s BlackBerry today.

(As of February 2015, BlackBerry holds 70+ security certifications and approvals from governments.)

Like Christy, MobileIron CEO Bob Tinker is stuck in the past when it comes to BlackBerry. He said in a recent interview:

“We don’t actually see them [BlackBerry] inside competitive customer deals. We just don’t see them. There’s probably two reasons for that. One, choice. CIOs want to bet on mobile IT that’s neutral. BlackBerry is a conflict of interest. And, two, enterprise mobility is a strategic decision, so they [IT] will buy the best product. BB is now just joining the party for platform independence three years late. One of the biggest arbiters of who is big is Gartner. We were in the leaders’ quadrant.”

Are you sure, Bob?

You’re under the impression that there’s only one way to incorporate BlackBerry into enterprise IT. That hasn’t been true for a while now.

We’re seeing a lot of interest in BES precisely because it gives companies the flexibility to manage iOS, Android, BlackBerry and — coming in November — Windows Phone 8 devices. And, if enterprises would prefer to use another Mobile Device Management (MDM) platform to manage BlackBerry devices, they can do that too: BlackBerry is partnering with AirWatch, Citrix, SAP and IBM to allow their MDM platforms to manage BlackBerry 10 devices.

While we respect Gartner, we think the biggest arbiter of ‘who is big’ is the customer. BlackBerry continues to have the largest customer base among all Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) platforms. And, interest in our secure EMM platform, BES10, continues to grow quickly as we’ve seen more than 2,600 enterprises — comprising 1.2 million devices —sign up to try BES10 through our new EZ Pass program, which launched just a few months ago.

And Bob, we absolutely agree that IT decision makers should do their homework and buy the best product. That’s why we’re especially proud that more than 100,000 of licenses issued through EZ Pass were trade-ins from competing platforms such as Good Technology and, yes, MobileIron.

Are you sure?

If you are an IT decision maker, make sure that you explore what BlackBerry can do to support your enterprise.

About BlackBerry Fact Check

BlackBerry Fact Check is a place for BlackBerry to set the story straight on our products and our company. We are in a volatile, fast-moving industry, and misinformation – whether the source is a competitor, an analyst report or simply a rumor –creates uncertainty. In light of the inaccuracies and misleading comments flooding the public domain where BlackBerry is concerned, our best offense is to present the facts directly, and you can find them with #BBFactCheck.
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